Conventional garment articles, such as disposable diapers and other disposable absorbent articles, have typically employed adhesive or mechanical fasteners which attach appointed waistband sections of the articles around a wearer. In addition, various configurations of waist elastics, leg elastics, elasticized liners, and elasticized outercovers have been employed on garment articles to help produce and maintain the fit of the articles about the body contours of the wearer.
It has been desirable for a caregiver using a disposable diaper on an infant to be able to determine whether the diaper contains wetness without disturbing the infant. For example, audible alarms, have been incorporated into diapers to indicate when the diaper has been wetted.
Visual mechanisms have also been employed to signal the presence of wetness in a disposable diaper. The diapers have included printed letters or objects using specific moisture-fugitive inks or dyes placed onto the inside surface of the translucent, moisture impermeable outer cover which contacts the absorbent system. The printed objects can disappear when the wetness in the absorbent system contacts those moisture-fugitive inks or dyes.
Another visual wetness indicator has included a pH change/color change indicator material located on the inside surface of a translucent, moisture impermeable outer cover which contacts the absorbent system. The indicator material changes color upon contacting the wetness from the absorbent system.
Conventional garment articles, such as those described above, have not provided desired levels of aesthetics and comfort, and have been susceptible to excessive levels of humidity within the garment. Where the garments are configured as absorbent articles, the articles have been susceptible to excessive leakage of liquids and other waste materials. As a result, there has been a continued need for improved garments having more consistent fit, greater comfort and lower likelihood of leakage.